FOREST SERVICE
FAILS TO PROTECT NINE THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES FROM LIVESTOCK
GRAZING IN ARIZONA

A analysis done by
the Center for Biological Diversity has found that four National Forests
in Arizona are delinquent in meeting mandatory terms and conditions that
protect nine threatened or endangered species from the harm caused by
livestock grazing.

The analysis identified
43 non-compliant grazing allotments in the Apache-Sitgreaves, Coconino,
Coronado and Tonto National Forests. 32 of the allotments are in the Coronado
National Forest. The allotments cover approximately 736,400 acres of habitat
for the threatened or endangered fish Loach Minnow and Spikedace, Little
Colorado River Spinedace, Razorback Sucker, Gila Topminnow, Sonora Chub,
as well as the Mexican Spotted Owl, Lesser Long Nosed Bat and New Mexico
Ridgenose Rattlesnake.

The Center has sent
a letter warning the Forest Service to either come into compliance or
go to court. Illegal "take" or unnatural death of these imperiled
species may now be going on as a result of poorly controlled livestock
grazing.

The Center sued the
Forest Service in 1997 to stop damage by livestock grazing to endangered
species on hundreds of allotments throughout the southwest. Forest Service
and the Fish and Wildlife Service biologists found that grazing in a large
number of allotments on southwestern National Forests would still result
in take for these species. In 1999 as a result of this suit, the Fish
and Wildlife Service set strict conditions for control of grazing so as
to minimize take. By failing to meet those conditions, the four National
Forests are in violation of the Endangered Species Act for illegal take
of a protected species.

"The Fish and
Wildlife Service did not ask for grazing to be stopped on these allotments
but they did set legally binding conditions to mitigate the damage done."
said Martin Taylor, coordinator of the Grazing Reform Program, and author
of the analysis. "The Forest Service seems to be incapable of meeting
even these conditions. We are in the same position we were in 1997. It
seems that irreparable harm to these species is still going on because
of unchecked livestock grazing." he concluded.

The analysis by the
Center found pervasive failure to monitor populations of the nine species,
failure to monitor livestock impacts and to remove livestock in a timely
fashion, and failure to monitor for improvements in ecological conditions
as required by the Fish and Wildlife Service. In the case of the Apache-Sitgreaves
and Tonto National Forests mandatory annual reports were not even produced.